Maria Popova reads the greatest works of literature and non-fiction (and blogs about them) so we don’t have to! In her recent post The Difference Between Routine and Ritual she essentially provides elegant Cliff’s Notes on Anne Lamott’s book Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair. Popova, fascinated by routines and rituals, illuminates the important difference between the two in her reflection on Lamott’s Stitches:

“While routine aims to make the chaos of everyday life more containable and controllable, ritual aims to imbue the mundane with an element of the magical.” - Maria Popova

“Daily rituals, especially walks, even forced marches around the neighborhood, and schedules, wether work or meals with non-awful people, can be the knots you hold on to when you’ve run out of rope.” - Anne Lamott, Stitches

“I have found that the wonder of life is often most easily recognizable through habits and routines.” - Ann Lamott, Stitches

Click to read The Difference Between Routine and Ritual: How to Master the Balancing Act of Controlling Chaos and Finding Magic in the Mundane. Please share your thoughts in the comments! What rituals do you follow daily? What exactly prompted you to start them?

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Office Organizing Expert Kacy Paide loves to do what most people hate: organize offices & paper.

She works with folks who are desperate for a more functional, more beautiful, more inspiring office. Kacy has been a Professional Organizer since 2001 and has worked with over 500 clients. Call her crazy, but she loves a good mess and wants to fix yours. Learn her time-tested solutions in her eBook, The Inspired Office: Organize Your Life One Paper at a Time. Based in Silver Spring, MD, Kacy is nationally available for consulting & speaking.